One Thursday Morning: Inspirational Christian Romance (Diamond Lake Series Book 1) by T.K. Chapin Page A

rest?”
    I nodded, thinking about the anniversary of my baby’s death being just two days away—Saturday. “Absolutely.”
    “Yeah. It’s just one of those days.”
    Bringing a hand up to his shoulder, I touched him and smoothed my thumb gently, giving him comfort. With a soft voice, I said, “I understand. I’ll get your order in.” As I cut through the restaurant, I thought more about my baby girl that never lived outside my womb. Often, I wondered if I would have been a good mom. Part of me used to feel God had made me miscarry because He didn’t think I’d be a good one. Luckily, though, my time at counseling taught me otherwise. Peering back at Charlie as he was weighed down with whatever was bothering him, I felt myself slip a bit further into having deeper feelings for him.
    Those walls didn’t stand a chance.

Chapter 9
    The flame of the candle in the center of the table flickered as a warm evening breeze blew through the patio of the restaurant in downtown Spokane. Raising my hand to catch my hair in the breeze, I pushed strands behind my ear and smiled at Charlie as he sat across from me. His smile glowed in the light of the candle. He had a nice suit and tie on, and his scent was especially intoxicating tonight. Though we didn’t talk about whatever was weighing him down yesterday at the diner, we did learn a lot about each other’s quirky histories and he kept me laughing through most the night.
    “I can’t believe you’ve never have had a s’more before,” he said with a laugh before proceeding to finish his last bite of chocolate cake. “You were such a sheltered child!”
    Shooing a playful hand gesture out in front of me, I let out a laugh. “Oh, come on! I haven’t been that sheltered. I sneaked out when I was sixteen once.”
    “Yeah . . . What’d you do?” He crossed his arms as his eyebrows went up and he leaned back in his seat.
    “My friend, Chelsea, and I slept in her car.”
    He folded over as he let out a laugh. “Slept in the car? Ooh. Risky.” Composing himself after another few moments of laughing, he settled down. He took a deep breath before smiling and looking me in the eyes. “You’re too cute, Amy. You know that?”
    Calling me by my fake name brought reality crashing back into my world in an instant. I was so caught up in the evening and enjoying our time together that all the realities of my deception were suspended, and we were just two souls enjoying the evening together. I wish he knew my real name. Forcing a smile, I said, “Yeah? Cute?”
    “Yeah,” he replied. Pausing for a moment, he gripped the arms of the chair suddenly and leaned in over the table. “You want to get out of here? Go for a walk in Riverfront Park?” He glanced over his shoulder at the moon and said, “Moonlight walk down by the falls?”
    Without speaking a word, I looked into his eyes and saw the depths of his soul. He was happy—at least, in this moment, he was. Being the one responsible for bringing that warmth to his eyes filled me with joy. Though I wasn’t telling Charlie everything, I knew what was developing was real. And while I did love John once before, I never felt like just being with me was ever good enough for him. There always had to be something more going on—a movie, dancing, gambling, whatever. There was no such thing as ‘going for a walk’ with my John. Even those trips to the city were riddled with activities to stay busy.
    My heart was moving fast with Charlie, but I couldn’t stop it. Every passing moment surpassed the moment before.
     

     
    As we walked one of the bridges in Riverfront Park holding hands, he stopped and turned to me. “That boat is the only thing left of my dad.”
    Bouncing between his eyes, I saw how much it meant to him. Worry and hurt hid behind his green eyes. “I’m sorry. There isn’t anything you can do?”
    He shook his head and his chin dipped to his chest. “She said she’s going to sell it because she’s tired of